Football.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 108, 8 May 1909, Page 14

Football.

RUGBY NOTES. By "Dropkick." The grounds at Miramar, nowadays, are dreary. Seven spectators watched the senior matches last Saturday, and four of them may have been there from choice. The others were reporters. The two senior games were played on the grounds in front of the grandstand, and the length of the grass was such that the players ran risks of bping tripped Dy it. Occasionally a player would find broken glass on the ground, and toss it on to the touchline to have it buried for safety. The day was a perfect one for the onlookers, but the football was <wy middling. Oh No. 1 ground,' Oriental had a tu.-sle with Victoria College, and beat the students by 28 to nothing. The clnet moral of this game was set out in lost Monday's issue — i.e., that a hare should never try to develop pace on three legs. Victoria College, a fast light lot of young athletes, neglected their chances to play ooen, last football, and tried to beat the heavy Oriental team in a packed scrum game that was exactly what Oriental desired. College wouid have been beaten last Satnrthy, whatever style of play they might have adopted, for just at present there are wany inherent weaknesses in fieir toaru, but they would assuredly Law scored two or three times had they " •->} er.ed up" the play and fed their n-e'rdy v>ing three-quarter (Goodbehere) v.ith I'a^ses. On one occasion, and only one, \\\ 1 he get going. He sprinted down ilie toucnline at what " Dave Harum " refers to as "a 2.4 bat," and a try for College seemed certain, but a joyous-faced youth dived unexpectedly into the perspective and sent Goodbehere into touch with an open-handed shove. It was an inglorious ending to a very fine effort. Roberts, Sturroch, and M'Leod made the best showings amongst the Oriental backs, and Kinvig at full was as safe as he had any need to be. O'Leary did best for the losers. Goodbehere was neglected. All of the Oriental forwards v.-ere seen to advantage against their lighter opponents, who did the best that they could under the circumstances. Athletic r?n up 34 points while Southern were notching 10. The Southern team needs a few hard gallops on the tan to get it fit ; there are men amongst the filteen who would kick the beam at fifteen stone without bones. The team is capable of better things than it has shown on the field in its two games of the present season, but it is no use of its expecting to achieve them until every member of it gets fit. When that has been achieved, Southern will be able to sustain for a while the spasmodic but irresistible rushes that gained for them the two tries which went to make up the team's score against Athletic last Saturday. Athletic, by the way, showed a disposition to relax endeavour ior a lew minutes at a time. This disposition will prove fatal to their chances of senior championship honours if they do not overcome it before they are called, upon t } meet Petone, or Poneke, or some other of the hard-playing persistent teams. Against a weak team it is no hard matter to wipe out an odd try or two, but a surprise try very often results in a lost game being recorded when teams are evenly matched. A team of Rugby representatives from Sydney University is to visit New Zealand this year. In Melbourne a band of enthusiasts is still working zealously to give the Rugby game another start. As with the Australian game in Sydney, so with the Rugby in Melbourne, it is difficult to win public support. And yet (remarks the Sydney Referee) the Melbourne newspapers set apart not one-tenth of the space to Rugby given by Sydney newspapers to the Australian game. The Governor-General, Lord Dudley, is patron, and Sir John Madden is president of the Victorian Rugby Union. There should be numbers of Englishmen as well as New South Welshmen and New Zealanders in Melbourne to give support to the game. In writing of the international match, Wales v. Ireland, the Athletic New-j states that the conclusion of ths game saw enthusiasm" run not. - W. J. Trew, the Welsh captain, was carried off the field, but the demonstration did not end there. Thousands of folk waited outside the ground unti! the players had dressed, and when they reappeared and took their places on the brake, Trew was unceremoniously hauled out and hoisted shoulder high. Then, preceded by two bands, the huge crowd marched through the town to the hotel, from the balcony of which the mild-mannered Welsh captain, the Welsh secretary, and the inimitable T^nard Owen had perforce to ?ir thei* '\quence. Altogether (the Athletic New& Jemarks) it was the greatest ebullition of enthusiasm in the annals of Rugby football in Wales, and a striking proof, if one was necessary of the hold the amateur game has on the masses of the Principality. There was not a- large crowd to witness the Poneke-Wellington game at^ Petone. The opposing sets of forwards had a big battle for the greater part of the first spell, the Wellington pack more than holding its own. When play resumed after the change over, the Wellington team displayed unmistakable indications of the strain of the first half, while their opponents "rooted ii," keeping the pressure at top till the bell went. The play was, in the main, devoid of sparkle, though now and again the Poneke backs threw some clash into the battle. But they had little opposition from the Wellington defenders, who added to their sins of omission by some high tackling, which proved futile with Mitchinson and his supporters on the gallop. The city forwards on several occasions were much too slow in running round, and at one time five Ponake men had a little game practically to themselves, two or three opponents being easily baffled, while the re--mainder — broken up after a crush — meandered across the field in a leisurely fashion, arriving just in time to witness Mitchinson cross their line. Uninteresting scrambles at the line-out, scrums from which issued no thrilling manoeuvre, and congested struggles in midfield, made up the greater part of the game. The Wellington administration should see to it that their bacKs undergo sufficient training both in the gymnasium and in field work to enable them to weather a decently rapid struggle. Their combination, too, was a minus quantity. Altogether, they put up a second-rate exhibition. On the other hand, the Poneke team, as a whole, played a sound and a winning game. Tilyard feeds his men unselfishly. F. Mitchinson and Flaunagan wpre responsible for the major portion of the scoring, while Walsh, whose only apparent lack is "nippiness," put up one of the finest individual games on the ground. He is a solid man to collar and hold, his kicking good to watch, and his general work characterised by a quick perception of the thing to be done. He kicked the only goal got from a try. The last try of the match was the result of a masterfu' bit of business between Neilsen, Mitchinson, and Flannagan, when the latter scored. Another time F. Mitchinson, following up his own kick from midfield, raced through the opposition and got over. M'Kella", Wilson, and Smythe (forwards) strove strenuously to turn the tide of defeat, but they were playing without strong support. Sel|ars, among the ■

ton backs, made several mistakes ; one in particular where he failed to hold a mark at a crucial moment. W. Hill, 4 not in the best of form, worked hard, and was the means of turning a dan-gerous-looking Poneke rush, almost on tne touch-line Wellington played some promoted juniors, who shaped promisir.gly. Shadbnlt. a prominent Poneke fcrwurd, somewhat maried a good exhibition by a tendency to too vigorous tackling, Hill suffering in this respect after the whistle had gone for a mark. O'Brien, among the winning forwards, grafted hard all day. An amusing incident was provided by a Wellingtonian when he vainly endeavoured, in an emergency, to stop a man with the ball by .trying to push his man over in a gentle manner. Petone last Saturday were the great Petone of 1907, when they scooped the whole of the championships. They were almost greater. Certainly, iMelrose never suffered such a defeat before, and j they did not play so much below their usual form. Their forwards were nearly as good as ever, and their backs never were anything out of the ordinary. That is where Petone came in. Their forwai'ds were more than the equal of the iMelrose pack, and their backs were about- as good as any rearguard eeen in club football. They played with brains, with admirable vim, and they played hard from start to finish. 'It was a punishing game, and the superior training of the suburban team, with their ample opportunities for play, told heavily in the critical fifteen minutes at the close of nearly every close game, petone are to be congratulated on their well-deserved, well-earned victory. The revival of the suburban team is a feature of this season. They ought to go mighty near to top place in the senior championship. It would be almost invidious to pick out individuals from the Petone team for special mention. Everybody undoubtedly played well, and, what is far more, played unselfishly. From the hookers to the full-back the team was most homogeneous. There were almost no weak spots. The defence was excellent. The promoted juniors — Smyrke, Corson, Fogden, and M'Kenzie — all justified themselves in the rear rank. Smyrke tackled, fielded, and lucked well, but was just a trifle slow in getting his kick. His place-kicking was good. Fogden and Corson, on the wings, proved both valuable accessions to the team. Fogden is a trifle on the light eide of senior football, but he is able to stand a lot of knocks, and came through as hard a contest as Petone are likely to have unscathed. Corson proved himself a strong runner and a fine defensive back. M'Kenzie and Clem Green played together, as if born to their respective positions. It was 'M'Kenzie's debut in penior football, and very effective it was. The Green-M'Kenzie combination will stand comparison with the old-establisn-ed firm of Roberts-M'Leod, Ltd., in the Oriental team. Green and M'Kenzio behind a grafting scrum, were the initiators of most ot the important scoring tactics. Hardham was seen at his best in the dual capacity of skipper and plajrer. He and Sullivan made a rattling pair of wingd. All the forwards were good, both in the scrum and in the loose. Nankeville had the ill luck to get a knock on the head, which incapacitated him during the second half. After praising Petone, what is thero left to say about Melrose? Simply this, that tlieir forwards were up to form, but their backs were weak. Twomey was about the best; Beavis was all right, but Marshall was off, Greeks was consistent and solid. Still the whole crowd were not in the same class at all as the Petone backs. The game must have proved valuable training for the referee, who had to be here, thero, and everywhere, all in a short space of time — the game was so fast. A conscientious referee has a lot of work ,to do. The Old Boys. — St. James's match was a disappointment in that the game was kept too tight. There was too much line play on the windward side of the ground to make it really interesting. It was lively only in patches, when somebody or other got away on his own. Old Boys displayed absolutely no combination and little condition behind the scrum. The forwards themselves are a good, hardworking crowd, but they want something to hearten them up in the shape of good backs. Thompson played a good hard game, strenuous and effective. Dawson distinguished himself by a cross-country run, when with his pace he ought to have got through. Baumgart must be a ilier to have caught Dawson as he did. Harry Avery played one of his sterling games, that entitles him to his reputation as one of the best forwards in Wellington. The other forwards of the whites were a promising lot, and, if training brings them into hard condi- I tion, Old Boys should do much better this year than last. St. James played quite_ a good game, and deserved to win through the superiority of their backs. In this they excelled — there were several pretty combined rushes in which Roberts Bros, had a lot to do. Ferguson did some fine bits of work, and hauled his man down very effectively »* critical stages. Wright at wing-lonvard was a good vis-a-vis to Avery. Crewes had ill-luck in not scoring twice in the first spell. His passes were, however, a bit too hard.* Baumgart proved that pace is extremely valuable to a team, as he stopped the one certain try the Old Boys seemed to have within their grasp. In spite of their losses of men, St. James are still a fine team. ASSOCIATION ' NOTES tBY Vanguap.d.3 Last Saturday's "soccer" matches may be regarded as very fair, considering that they were only the second matches of the season. Evidences were not, wanting, of course, that some of the team's were suffering badly irom lack of training. The value of a few practice matches preparatory to entering upon the real busine&s of the championship conlefets cannot be over-estimated. , It not only ensures better individual form, but assists cohesion in the team, and more effective combined play. Of course, now that the season's matches are well under way, the individual teams should improve with every match. This was noticeable last Saturday in the casb of Diamonds v. Wanderers at the Basin Reserve. 'In the first spell Diamonds were teaching their opponents several effective lessons in combined rushing, and eager willngness to seek every chance. And Wanderers profited, for, in the second spell their play was a great improvement on that of the first quar-ter-of-an-hour. More combination is what they need, and Wanderers will doubtless do much better before the sea- j .«on is very far advanced. Their forward passing at times was quite equal to anything .seen this season, though, against the solid and efiicieift defence of the diamonds it was otten ineffectual. The victorious team owed much to B. Ready, K. Ready, and "Bios" Lowe. The latter, however, might easily have doubled the score of his team if his goal-shooting had shown ' more careful calculator]. Three or four times he bhot the ball just over, instead of under, the bar. Nevertheless he played a capital game, and v. as generally in his place. '' It's an ill wind that blows nobody good l uuh the old proverb, and it was I jvell illustrated In tne case of Rowan,

He had shipped on the Weathersfield, but owing to that vessel's returning to port he is again on terra, firma, and ' helped to make a draw last Saturday against the V.M.C.A. Hall was in great form, and seems quite at home in the back division. The half-backs are fair, and the forwards, I understand, will be strengthened by the return of Blackwood, who has been in Nelson. Phillips knows how to shoot when there is an opportunity, and M'Kenzie got in some fine runs on the left. Timperley is one of Thistle's best forwards, and is seen to best advantage on *$lie Basin Reserve or any other good ground. Gibson had misfortune in not scoring in the second half, after working his way through the Blue's defence. Irvine played a little too " hard " at times, and Captain Gibson did not play up to form. Pettit was the tetter of the two backs. Norman is right in declining to play in this position again, end T feel sure that this player will have a good deal scored by the end of the season if played in his proper position. A matter to which the attention of all Association players and club officials should be called is the unnecessary and inexcusable talking of players to and at their opponents, and their continued disputing of the referees' decisions on the field of play during the progress of the game. A game I recently watched was, from a fair-play point of view, as well as that of the spectators, completely spoilt by these unfortunate arguments. There may be occasions when a player would be pardoned for questioning a decision, but when it reaches the point of incessantly calling out "off side," "off side," for some time after the decision has been made, the game suffers. I do not know whether it would not be wise for the management committee to call the attention of clubs to this undesirable and growing practice, and inform clubs of the committee's determination to stop it. Swifts' score against tlje Ramblers last Saturday (four to one) would have been greater had the maroon forwards shot ior goal more often, instead of trying to get the ball under the posts before shooting. Sparrow at centreforward for Swifts, did well in scoring three goals. He kept his place splendidly, and passed with judgment. D. Scott played a heady game and combined splendidly with P. Pye-Smith. It was through his efforts that the latter scored a neat goal from the line. Toohill worked hard and made several good runs down the left wing. M'Callum at inside left knows the game, but should put more force into hLs passes, and learn, to shoot quicker. Graves was in a new position at centre-half, but could' not kick with his left +'oot. He will have to remedy this fault. Kershberg fed his forwards well, as did Guise, but the latter kicks too hard at times. Wilfcon at left half back will improve with experience. He will have to learn to keep cool as it does not do for a full back to get excited. Swifts will have to find a new goal-keeper shortly, as Tattle is retiring. M'Lean in goal for Ramblers savod peveral sudden including a penalty. Beasley at fullback could not stop the Swifte forwards, their combination being too good. The Ramblers could do with a new set- of halves ; none of them played up to senior form. Anko,r was transferred to left half in the second spell and shaped fairly well. Bradford, Edwarde, and Wills played -well in the forwards. Edwards making several good runs down ths left wing, but his centres all went begging. He is a better back than forward. The desire of a group of spectators to watth the progress of a match is natural enough, but it is possible for them to cause serious inconvenience to the players, especially if they gather in any number about the goal posts. At the Diamonds v. Wanderers match at the Basin Reserve, a group of fifteen to twenty spectators were standing just on the outside of the western goal posts, and as play advanced in that direction they should have retired to a reasonable distance. Instead of that they kept their ground, with the result that when the ball was returned there was some doubt as to whether the goal-keeper or one of the onlookers sent it back. More efficient police control would be of much assistance at these matches. In their match against Rovers on Saturday la-et, at Petone, the suburbanites showed better form, especially as far as pacing was concerned. Systematic and jndicious passing, tempered with a certain amount of calculation, may often be taken as the barometer oil a team's efficiency, and this is especially so, when applied to the Peetone combination. The blue and whites, however, have still a certain amount of knowledge to acquire, if they aim at perfection, and the importance of each individual keeping his own place, and that position only, cannot be emphasised too greatly. K. Hartley, a promoted junior, is proving himself a valuable acquisition, his forceful kicking in his pos|tion of full back, standing in goocß stead for his team. He is a keen battler, and is possessed of no mean pace. Joyce, as goalkeeper, showed improvement, while the same may be said, with perhaps a little more emphasis, of his more experienced vis-a-vis— Oldnall. Waddell, at left half, played a good and useful game, in fact, his services could hardly be dispensed with without serious loss, but it is noticeable that he has lost much of his old time brilliancy. For this, a prolonged spell .from the game is probably responsible, and there are many who expect that in the course | of time he will regain much of his for- | mer condition. Jsunn at centre is a trifle light for his position when weighed against the opposition of Taylor and Perks ; an inside position would per- ! haps be more in his line. On the whole, the other members of the team played up to their usual lorm. As regards the winners, their individual players have j been criticised before, more or less, but a timely warning to Duncan to discontinue his oft-repeated off-side tactics, for which his team was penalised times out of number on Saturday last, would not be out of place. In the backs, Duignan proved the stumbling-block of many a suburban rush, while Perks was also conspicuous. As regards the forwards, the concerted action of Barry, Miller, Duncan, and O'Shea proved a tough proposition to the Petone rear-guard. On the whole, the game was fairly evenly contested, the balance of superiority, resting somewnat with Rovers, as the j score — Rovers 2, Petone I—indicated.1 — indicated.

At the Auckland Conciliation Council, states the Star, Colonel Holgate, speaking against preference to unionists, said : — "We are supposed to live in a free country, and yet men are forced to do something which they do not want to do. We are legislating against combines and trusts, but preference to unionists is about as inimical a thing as we can got." Mr. Manning, the union representative, pointed out that all the workers in the country benefited by the • acts of a union, and, therefore, all should contribute to the cost incurred in the obtaining of the better conditions—hence preference to unionists. King Alfonso of Spain is the only monarch who does not sign his name to documents and edicts. His signature is simply "Yo, el Rey" ("I, tho King"). For weak lungs and general debility there is nothing to equal Phosphol Emulsion. Its health-giving properties are superior to nil other emulsions, and it is most palatable. — Advt. Give Phoaphol to your delicate child. It ones the system aud enriches tho : blood. — Advt.